As demonstrators stood in the streets of D.C. on Monday to protest racial injustice by law enforcement across the country—most recently resulting in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis—police used tear gas and flash-bang grenades to disperse the crowd in order for President Donald Trump to visit St. John’s Episcopal Church, which had been damaged amid protests Sunday.
Nationals closer Sean Doolittle and his wife Eireann Dolan voiced on Twitter their displeasure with the decision to use violence in order to break up the crowds.
It’s horrifying to watch this unfold on the same streets where we celebrated a World Series just 7 months ago. DC has shown our team so much love and they welcomed me and my wife into their community. We’re so proud to be a part of it. This is heartbreaking. DC stay strong. https://t.co/2ZKZTMdvQe
— Obi-Sean Kenobi Doolittle (@whatwouldDOOdo) June 2, 2020
DC friends and neighbors: please stay safe out there. @whatwoulddoodo and I love you and support you. It feels so helpless to watch our own military escalate violence against what has been, by all accounts, a nonviolent protest this afternoon. Please please please stay safe.
— Eireann Dolan (@EireannDolan) June 1, 2020
Athletes and sports teams across the U.S. have chimed in to express their support for equal rights and the Black Lives Matter movement. Although the Nationals had yet to release an official statement at the time this story was published, they did join the #BlackOutTuesday movement by making their profile pictures on both Twitter and Instagram black and posting blank photos.
Outfielder Juan Soto, second baseman Starlin Castro, starting pitcher Joe Ross and third baseman Carter Kieboom joined the #BlackOutTuesday movement on their Instagram accounts as well. First baseman Howie Kendrick reposted Tiger Woods’ statement on his Instagram story.
Ross also retweeted a tweet from The Atlantic’s Jemele Hill that ridiculed the NFL for making a statement in support of the protestors after the Colin Kaepernick kneeling saga resulted in the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s continued unemployment.
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